Modular telephone plug

ABSTRACT

A modular telephone plug (110) having an elongated dielectric housing (112) and a clip member (123, 284) attached that is adapted to fit into a standard RJ-type jack. More specifically, one end (114) of the modular plug (110) defines an electrical connector section to which wires from a telephone cord (120) can be attached. For this purpose, the housing (112) includes an internal channel (143) through which the telephone cord (120) can extend. The clip member (123, 284) is secured in a cantilevered manner at an end (116) of the housing (112) remote from the electric connector section. The housing (112) is also formed with a recess (220) into which extends a free end (276, 313, 380) of the clip member (123, 284). The modular plug (110) has an associated length of 1.1 to 1.5 inches (approximately 2.8 to 3.8 cm). With this construction, the modular telephone plug (110) can be easily grasped and manipulated.

This application is a continuation in-part of prior U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 08/382,634, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,475.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a modular telephone plug for connection to astandard RJ-type jack.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typically telephone cords are used to connect a telephone to either awall terminal or to connect the telephone to its handset. Thesetelephone cords may run inside or outdoors to establish necessarytelephone communication. The actual telephone cords generally comprise acore having a plurality of tinsel ribbons wrapped helically thereabout.The tinsel conductors are covered with an insulative covering and then aplurality of the individual insulated conductors are typically jacketedwith a plasticized polyvinyl chloride composition.

Usually, each end of the cord arrangement is terminated with a miniaturemodular plug to facilitate attachment to the jacks located in varioustelephone instruments and wall outlets. One end of the modular plug isadapted to receive a cord while the other end of the modular plug isadapted to be inserted into a jack to establish electrical connectionbetween the core conductors within the plug and the contact elements inthe form of wires in the jack. A typical modular plug can be seen inU.S. Pat. Nos. 3,699,498 and 4,148,539.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1-3 of the attached drawings, a standard modularplug 10 includes a plastic housing 12. A first end 14 of the housing 12has conductor receiving troughs 16 which communicate with a cordreceiving opening 18 at the second end 20 of the plug 10. The first end14 of the plug 10 includes receiving walls 22 which extend between andaid in defining the troughs 16.

As can be best seen in FIG. 3, the housing 12 incorporates a depressibletab 24 for locking the plug 10 within a jack 26. The tab 24 is formedwith two, laterally spaced, detent members 28. These detent members 28are adapted to engage the modular jack 26 thus locking the plug 10 inplace. This prior art plug 10 and jack 26 connecting arrangement issatisfactory for intermittent household use. However, there presentlyexists a need to have testing plugs which will be used by a workman totest several jacks in a single given day. Repeatedly using a prior artplug constructed in the manner described above will inevitably lead tofatigue failure problems. For example, the tab 24 will tend to break offat its neck portion 30 if the plug 10 is used often.

Furthermore, as seen in FIG. 3, only a portion 32 of the plug 10 extendsoutward of the jack 26 when the plug is engaged. This presents graspingproblems to workmen who often need to wear gloves which makes itdifficult to grasp and pull a plug out of a jack if there is only asmall portion of the plug extending beyond the jack. It is also oftendifficult to readily deflect the tab 24 which has only a small portion34 extending beyond the jack 26.

Thus, the prior art technology has failed to provide a modular plugwhich can fit into a standard jack and yet is large enough to be easilyheld and removed by a worker who has gloved hands and which incorporatesa reliable locking tab or clip that will not break even after repeateduse.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides for a durable modular telephone plugparticularly adapted for use by workers who are testing telephoneequipment or making necessary repairs to telephone equipment. Themodular telephone plug is enlarged relative to a standard RJ-typemodular plug to aid in grasping the same and incorporates a mechanicallyreliable locking arrangement.

More specifically, the invention is directed to a modular telephone plughaving an elongated, preferably unitarily molded, dielectric housingwith first and second longitudinally spaced ends. The first end isadapted to fit into a standard modular telephone jack, such as normallywould be found in standard telephone equipment. The second end of thehousing is spaced from the first end to enlarge a gripping zoneassociated with the modular plug. In addition, the second end is formedwith an enlarged head portion that protrudes from the housing such thatthe combination of the housing's size and shape enables the plug to beeasily manipulated by a user even if the user is wearing gloves. Thehousing also has a channel passing from the second end of the housing tothe first. This channel is adapted to receive a standard telephone wireassembly that leads to the first end of the housing. The first end isactually constructed substantially the same as a standard telephone plugin order to enable the modular telephone plug of the present inventionin readily fit into standard telephone jacks.

An elongated retainer clip is provided that extends from the first endof the housing to the second end thereof. Adjacent the first end of thehousing, the retainer clip has at least one detent member which isadapted to be engaged with a standard modular RJ-type jack in order tosecurely hold the modular plug in place. A recess is located in thehousing at its first end and a tab formed at the terminal end of theclip is adapted to extend into the recess. According to a firstembodiment, the second end of the housing is formed with a plurality ofbores into which three corresponding pegs carried by an opposing end ofthe clip are received for securing the clip to the housing. Theresulting connection allows for relative movement between the housingand the clip to enable disengagement of the detent members from thejack. According to another embodiment, the housing is essentially thesame as in the first embodiment, however, a slot is formed in the secondend of the housing. The slot extends, within the housing, from thesecond end of the housing, toward the first end thereof substantiallyparallel to the cord receiving channel. The slot is adapted tofrictionally receive a portion of the clip of the second embodiment tosecure the clip to the housing. More specifically, the portion of theclip of the second embodiment which is inserted into the slot has barbedor spiked members extending laterally therefrom for frictionallysecuring the clip to the housing. Various ribs can be provided along abottom side of the clip to enhance the structural integrity of the clip.

The construction of either embodiment provides for an oversized modulartelephone plug which can be formed in a cost effective manner and usedin any standard jack. The resulting plug is sturdy and strong and itsassociated clip can be readily manipulated without failing under fatigueloading even when used repeatedly by workmen in testing telephoneequipment. Furthermore, the shape and size of the housing furtherenables the modular telephone plug to be easily grasped by telephonepersonnel.

Additional objects, features and advantages of the present inventionwill be more readily apparent from the following description of thepreferred embodiments thereof, when taken in conjunction with thedrawings appended hereto in which like reference numerals refer tocorresponding parts in the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a prior art modular plug attached to an endof a telephone cord;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the plug shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the plug shown in FIG. 1 inserted into astandard telephone jack;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of themodular telephone plug of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an exploded, perspective view of the modular telephone plug ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a preferred embodimentof the housing portion of the modular telephone plug of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the housing of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a bottom plan view of the housing of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a rear end view of the housing shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a front end view of the housing shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of a retainer clip constructed inaccordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a side view of the retainer clip of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the modulartelephone plug of the invention;

FIG. 14 is a side view of a retainer clip incorporated in the modulartelephone plug embodiment of FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is a bottom view of the retainer clip incorporated in themodular telephone plug embodiment of FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is a bottom plan view similar to that of FIG. 11 but of amodified retainer clip; and

FIG. 17 is a side view of the retainer clip of FIG. 16.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With initial reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, a modular telephone plugaccording to the present invention is generally indicated at 110.Modular plug 110 includes a housing 112 having a first end 114 and asecond end 116 that are interconnected by a central body portion 117. Inthe preferred embodiment, housing 112 constitutes a unitary member thatis injection molded of plastic, however, it should be understood thatother manufacturing methods could be employed to form housing 112 andthat other dielectric materials could also be utilized.

Housing 112 is adapted to receive a telephone cord 120 which extendsthrough housing 112 from second end 116 to first end 114 in the mannerwhich will be more fully described below. Modular plug 110 is alsoprovided with a clip member 123 that includes a first end portion 126adapted to be selectively secured within a standard telephone jack and asecond end portion 129 which is adapted to be fixedly secured to secondend 116 of housing 112. Three preferred embodiments for the clip memberincorporated in the modular plug 110 of the present invention will bedescribed more fully below, along with the respective attachmentarrangements between the clip member and the housing 112. In addition,the construction of the clip member which provides for selectivelylocking first end 114 of housing 112 within a standard telephone jackwill also be described in detail below.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 6-10 in describing the preferredembodiment of housing 112. In general, first end 114 of housing 112 isconfigured in a manner substantially identical to that of a standardmodular plug, i.e., plug 10 shown in FIGS. 1-3 of the presentapplication, such that first end 114 can be readily received within astandard telephone jack. In accordance with the particular constructionof housing 112, first end 114 defines an electrical connector section137 that is formed with a plurality of laterally spaced conductorreceiving troughs 140. Within housing 112, conductor receiving troughs140 open into a longitudinally extending channel 143. Channel 143extends within housing 112 from first end 114 to an opening 146 formedin second end 116.

In a manner similar to a standard modular plug, first end 114 of housing112 is provided with a substantially flat front wall 150 that leads to aledge 154. Ledge 154 projects forwardly from front wall 150 to define aforward extension 157 that has a front surface 160. The width of firstend 114 is identical to that of a standard modular plug (i.e.,approximately 3/8 inch or 1 cm). With this construction, first end 114can readily be inserted within a standard RJ-type jack, such as thatillustrated in FIG. 3.

Housing 112 further incorporates a wire retaining member 163 that ispreferably formed as a generally triangularly-shaped body 166 havingcorners 169-171. Corner 169 is integrally formed with a flexibleappendage 174 that is attached to portion 178 of housing 112. When thewires of telephone cord 120 are inserted into opening 146, throughchannel 143 and into conductor receiving troughs 140, wire retainingmember 163 can be manually pivoted relative to housing 112 due to theflexibility of appendage 174. In order to retain telephone cord 120within channel 143, wire retaining member 163 is adapted to pivotbetween the non-restraining position shown in FIG. 6 to the restrainingposition illustrated by dotted lines wherein corner 170 will engagetelephone cord 120 in order to retain it in a desired position. When inits cord restraining position, a portion of triangular-shaped body 166,adjacent corner 171, rests upon lip 181 to prevent wire retaining member163 from readily shifting back to its non-restraining position. Sincethe particular manner in which the wires of telephone cord 120 aresecured within conductor receiving troughs 140 so as to defineelectrical connector section 137 is identical to that of the prior artand is well known in the art, this arrangement has not been depicted inthe drawings and will not be described in detail herein.

As clearly illustrated in these Figures, second end 116 of housing 112includes a concavely sloped surface 188 that extends outwardly fromcentral body portion 117 such that second end 116 defines an enlargedhead. Enlarging second end 116 in accordance with the present inventionhas been found to greatly enhance one's ability to grasp modular plug110 of the present invention. From concavely sloped surface 188, secondend 116 is formed with a rounded portion 190 that extends about morethan three sides of housing 112 as best illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10.The ends of rounded portion 190 are interconnected by a flattenedsection 193. Below flattened section 193, housing 112 is formed with aslot 201 that extends longitudinally within second end 116 substantiallyparallel to channel 134. Slot 201 leads to a grooved channel 204 definedbetween upstanding side walls 207 and 208 at flattened section 193.

As illustrated in the preferred embodiment shown, grooved channel 204 isprovided with a plurality of spaced bores 212-214. Grooved channel 204opens toward a side 218 of central body portion 117. Side 218 ispreferably formed substantially flat and leads to a recess 220 formed infirst end 114 of housing 112. Recess 220 is defined by a sloped surface221 that extends from side 218, a flattened section 224 and anupstanding wall 227. As best illustrated in FIG. 8, recess 220 is onlyprovided in a central region of housing 112 along side 218.

As will be evident from the remainder of this detailed description,housing 112 in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the inventionis constructed for use with varying types of clip members. Once suchclip member is illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5, 11 and 12 and is generallyindicated at 123 as mentioned above. Clip member 123, which ispreferably constituted by an integrally formed elongated plastic body,includes an elongated central portion 244 that interconnects first andsecond ends 126 and 129. With particular reference to FIGS. 11 and 12,clip member 123 includes a first side surface 245 and an opposing sidesurface 246. First side surface 245 is preferably formed substantiallyflat along elongated central portion 244 and includes an inclinedsection 247 at second end portion 129 such that second end portion 129defines a thickened section of clip member 123. This inclined section247 leads to an in-turned flange 249. Substantially opposed to inclinedsection 247 on side surface 246, second end portion 129 is formed with aplurality of spaced pegs 254-256. As will be described more fully below,pegs 254-256 are utilized to securely attach second end portion 129 ofclip member 123 to housing 112 of modular plug 110.

Directly adjacent first end 126 of clip member 123, elongated centralportion 244 is formed with opposing cut-out portions 262 and 263. Asbest illustrated in FIG. 12, first end portion 126 extends upwardly fromelongated central portion 244 on first side surface 245 such that firstend 126 defines a raised lip 266 that extends across clip member 123.First end portion 126 is defined by opposing surfaces 269 and 270 thatslope relative to elongated central portion 244 and which terminate in atab 273 having a rounded terminal end 276.

Clip member 123 described above is adapted to be attached to housing 112by securing second end portion 129 to housing 112 within grooved channel204. More specifically, pegs 254-256 formed on second end portion 129are fixedly secured within a respective one of the plurality of bores to212-214. According to a preferred embodiment, second end portion 129 isadhesively secured within grooved channel 204 along with pegs 254-256within bores 212-214. Elongated central portion 244 and first end 126extend from second end portion 129 in a cantilevered manner and tab 273projects within recess 220.

Due to the inherent resiliency of clip member 123, when modular plug 110is inserted within a standard telephone jack, raised lip 266 will engagea housing portion of the jack so as to function in a mannersubstantially identical to detent member 128 of the known modulartelephone plug discussed with reference to FIGS. 1-3 of the presentapplication in order to selectively retain modular plug within the jack.When it is desired to remove modular plug 110, a user can simply forceclip member 123 toward central body portion 117 of housing 112 in orderto force tab 273 within recess 220. When rounded terminal end 276 abutsflattened section 224 of recess 220, clip member 123 will deflect toposition raised lip 266 closer to central body portion 117 such thatmodular plug 110 can be readily pulled from the jack. By located tab 273within recess 220, bending of clip member 123 away from central bodyportion 117 by engagement of first end portion 126 of clip member 123with an external object is prevented. In addition, since clip member 123is cantilevered at second end portion 129, relatively small bendingangles are experienced at second end portion 129 throughout the use ofmodular plug 110 and therefore any fatigue failure is greatly reduced oreliminated as compared to standard modular telephone plugs.

As mentioned above, housing 112 is preferably constructed so it can beuniversally utilized with varying types of clip members. From the abovedescription, it should be readily apparent that slot 201 is not utilizedin securing clip member 123 to housing 112. Instead, slot 201 is used tosecure another type of clip member to housing 112 as will be more fullydiscussed below. Since slot 201 is not utilized to secure clip member123 to housing 112, if the modular telephone plug 110 of the presentinvention is formed with a clip member constructed in accordance withthe above-described embodiment, housing 112 obviously need not be formedwith slot 201 in this embodiment.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 13-15 in describing a secondpreferred embodiment of the present invention wherein correspondingreference numerals refer to structure in the second embodiment that isidentical to that described above with respect to the first embodiment.In essence, housing 112 is constructed identical to that described abovewith specific reference to FIGS. 6-10. However, the second embodimentincludes a clip member 284 that is preferably formed of metal. Morespecifically, clip member 284 includes a first or locking end portion287, a second or attaching end portion 290 and an elongated centralportion 293 that integrally connects first and second end portions 287and 290. Second end portion 290 defines a curved section 296 of clipmember 284 and terminates in a serrated end 299. Serrated end 299 isactually constituted by a plurality of outwardly extending andlongitudinally spaced prongs or spikes 301 that have outwardly andrearwardly extending angled surfaces 303. As will be discussed morefully below, serrated end 299 is adapted to be received within slot 201for fixedly securing second end portion 290 of clip member 284 tohousing 112.

First end portion 287 of clip member 284 includes a pair of laterallyspaced locking detents or tabs 306. In the preferred embodiment shown,locking detents 306 are symmetrical and are each preferably formed bycutting, such as by a stamping operation, clip member 284 along lines309 and 310 and then bending first end portion 287 relative to elongatedcentral portion 293 such that locking detents 306 project upwardlyrelative to elongated central portion 293 as best illustrated in FIGS.13 and 14. With this arrangement, first end portion 287 slopes relativeto elongated central portion 293 and includes a downwardly turnedterminal end 313. Terminal end 313 is adapted to extend within recess220 in a manner directly analogous to tab 273 of the first describedclip embodiment.

More specifically, clip member 284 is adapted to be secured to housing112 by inserting serrated end 299 into slot 201. As will be noted fromviewing FIG. 15, prongs 301 project laterally outwardly slightly beyondthe lateral dimensions of the remainder of clip member 284 andtherefore, when inserted into slot 201, prongs 301 will slightly deformslot 201. Due to the presence of angled surfaces 303 of prongs 301,serrated end 299 can be forced into slot 201 and will be retainedagainst withdrawal therefrom by engagement of the prongs 301 within theslot 201. At the same time, terminal end 313 will extend into recess220. From the above description, it should be readily apparent thatutilization of clip member 284 obviates the need for the forming ofbores 212-214.

The manner of locking modular telephone plug 110 incorporating clipmember 284 is identical to that described above with respect to thefirst embodiment except that clip member 284 includes a pair of spacedlocking detents 306 whereas raised lip 266 preferably extends entirelylaterally across clip member 123. However, given the construction of astandard jack, approximately the same abutting surface area is providedin each of the embodiments constructed in accordance with the presentinvention.

As indicated above, FIGS. 16 and 17 illustrate a clip member similar tothat of the embodiment of FIGS. 11 and 12 and therefore like referencenumerals refer to corresponding parts which will not be described here.However, this clip member is provided with a plurality of longitudinallyextending ribs 350 and 352 extending from a forward portion 355 thereof.Ribs 350 and 352 add structural integrity to the clip member and areidentically constructed. As clearly shown in FIG. 16, the clip memberincludes opposing side cut-out portions (not labeled) that have linearfront edges 360 and curvilinear rear edges 362. When received within aconventional jack in a manner directly analogous to that describedabove, edges 360 abut front wall portions of the jack to selectivelyretain the modular telephone plug in place.

As shown in FIG. 17, rib 352 includes a substantially flat, rearwardlyextending portion 370 that leads to a sloping, enlarged portion 374. Rib352 extends to adjacent a flat tip 380 which is adapted to extend withinrecess 220 of housing 112. Central portion 244 has a first side surface245 substantially identical to the earlier disclosed embodiment, butsecond end portion 129 includes a first sloping portion 382, a generallyflat portion 384 and a second sloping portion 386 that leads to centralportion 244.

As emphasized above, an important aspect of the present invention is theability of the modular plug 110 to be readily grasped by a user, evenwhen the user is wearing gloves. This is particularly important fortelephone repair personnel that need to insert modular telephone plugswithin jacks outside of homes in cold weather climates. In accordancewith the present invention, grasping and manipulating modular plug 110is greatly enhanced as compared to a standard modular telephone plug dueto the particular configuration of housing 112, as well as clip members123 and 284. In addition to constructing housing 112 with second end 116defining an enlarged head, housing 112 is greatly elongated as comparedto a standard modular telephone plug. In the preferred embodiment,modular plug 110 is 1.1 to 1.5 inches in length (approximately 2.8 to3.8 cm) and preferably 1.3 inches (3.3 cm) wherein a standard modulartelephone plug is approximately 1/2 inch (1.27 cm). Therefore, wheninserted into a standard telephone jack, the modular plug 110 of thepresent invention extends out of the jack a substantial distance whichgreatly aids in grasping and manipulating the modular plug, even ifgloves are being worn by the user.

Although described with respect to preferred embodiments of theinvention, it should be readily understood that various changes and/ormodifications can be made to the present invention without departingfrom the spirit thereof. For instance, although adhesive is specificallydisclosed in connecting the clip members to second end 116 of housing112 in the various embodiments of the invention, other types offastening arrangements known in the art could also be readily utilized.In addition, the second end portion 290 of clip member 284 in accordancewith the second embodiment of the invention could also be secured withinslot 201 by various fastening arrangements instead of the use of prongsor spikes 301. For instance, second end portion 290 of clip member 284could simply be adhesively secured within slot 201 or another type ofattaching arrangement could be utilized, other than that of slot 201,for supporting clip member 284 in a cantilevered manner. In fact, theclip member could be integrally molded with the housing in acantilevered manner. In general, the invention is only intended to belimited by the scope of the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A modular telephone plug comprising:an elongated dielectrichousing having first and second longitudinally spaced ends, with thefirst end defining an electrical connector section that is adapted tofit into a standard RJ-type jack, and with the housing including arecess adjacent the electrical connector section; and a clip memberhaving first and second end portions, with the second end portion of theclip member being fixedly attached to the second end of the housing andthe first end portion of the clip member extending into the recess andbeing deflectable relative to the housing, with the first end portionbeing provided with at least one retaining element that is adapted toengage a portion of a standard RJ-type jack in order to selectivelyretain the modular telephone plug in the jack.
 2. The modular telephoneplug according to claim 1, wherein the first end portion of the clip issupported in a cantilevered manner at the second end of the housing. 3.The modular telephone plug according to claim 2, further including achannel for receiving a cord, with the channel being formed in thehousing and extending from the electrical connector section to anopening provided in the second end of the housing.
 4. The modulartelephone plug according to claim 3, further including means forrestraining the movement of a cord positioned within the channel, therestraining means being carried by the housing between the first andsecond ends thereof.
 5. The modular telephone plug according to claim 1,wherein the housing has an associated length within the range of 1.1 to1.5 inches (approximately 2.8-3.8 cm).
 6. The modular telephone plugaccording to claim 1, wherein the clip member is integrally formed ofplastic and is provided with a plurality of ribs extendinglongitudinally in the first end portion thereof.
 7. The modulartelephone plug according to claim 6, wherein the second end portion ofthe clip member is fixedly attached to the second end of the housingthrough a plurality of pegs carried by one of the housing and the clipmember and a plurality of bores formed in the other of the housing andthe clip member, the clip member being secured to the housing with eachof the pegs being interengaged with a respective one of the bores. 8.The modular telephone plug according to claim 7, wherein the pegs arecarried by the clip member and the bores are formed in the housing.
 9. Amodular telephone plug comprising:an elongated dielectric housing havingfirst and second longitudinally spaced ends, said first end defining anelectrical connector section that is adapted to fit into a standardRJ-type jack, said housing including a recess; a clip member havingfirst and second end portions, with the clip member being integrallyformed of plastic and being provided with a plurality of ribs extendinglongitudinally in the first end portion thereof; and means for securingsaid clip member to said housing in a cantilevered manner with thesecond end portion of said clip member being fixedly attached to thesecond end of said housing and the first end portion of said clip memberbeing located adjacent said electrical connector section, the first endportion of said clip member also extending into and being movable withinsaid recess to permit shifting of said clip member relative to saidhousing.
 10. The modular telephone plug according to claim 9, furtherincluding means, carried by the first end portion of said clip member,for selectively retaining the modular telephone plug in a standardRJ-type jack.
 11. The modular telephone plug according to claim 9,further including a channel for receiving a cord, said channel beingformed in said housing and extending from the electrical connectorsection to an opening provided in the second end of said housing. 12.The modular telephone plug according to claim 11, further includingmeans for restraining the movement of a cord positioned with saidchannel, said restraining means being carried by said housing betweenthe first and second ends thereof.
 13. The modular telephone plugaccording to claim 9, wherein said securing means includes a pluralityof pegs carried by one of said housing and said clip member and aplurality of bores formed in the other of said housing and said clipmember, said clip member being secured to said housing with each of saidpegs being interengaged with a respective one of said bores.
 14. Themodular telephone plug according to claim 13, wherein said pegs arecarried by said clip member and said bores are formed in said housing.15. The modular telephone plug according to claim 9, wherein saidhousing has an associated length within the range of 1.1 to 1.5 inches(approximately 2.8-3.8 cm).
 16. A modular telephone plug comprising:anelongated dielectric housing having first and second longitudinallyspaced ends, with the first end defining an electrical connector sectionthat is adapted to fit into a standard RJ-type jack; and a clip memberhaving first and second end portions, with the second end portion of theclip member being fixedly attached to the second end of the housing andthe first end portion of the clip member being deflectable relative tothe housing, with the first end portion being provided with at least oneretaining element that is adapted to engage a portion of a standardRJ-type jack in order to retain the modular telephone plug in the jack,wherein the clip member is formed with a plurality of longitudinallyextending reinforcing ribs and is fixedly attached to the second endportion of the housing through a plurality of pegs carried by one of thehousing and the clip member and a plurality of bores formed in the otherof the housing and the clip member, the clip member being secured to thehousing with each of the pegs being interengaged with a respective oneof the bores.
 17. The modular telephone plug according to claim 16,wherein the pegs are carried by the clip member and the bores are formedin the housing.
 18. The modular telephone plug according to claim 16,wherein the housing includes a recess adjacent the electrical connectorsection, the first end portion of the clip member extending into andbeing movable within the recess to permit shifting of the clip memberrelative to the housing.
 19. The modular telephone plug according toclaim 18, wherein the first end portion of the clip member is supportedin a cantilevered manner at the second end of the housing.